Improvement in vehicle-springs



L. SPALDING 86L. WIBDE.

' Vehicle-Spring.

No. 215,986. Patented May 27,1879;

UNITED STATES PATENT LOREN SPALDING AND LOUIS WVIEDE, OF WILLIAMSVILLE,NEW YORK, SAID SPALDING ASSIGNOR TO SAID VVIEDE.

IMPROVEMENT IN VEHICLE-SPRINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 215,986, datcd May 27,1879 application filed January 25, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LOREN SPALDING and Lows IVIEDE, both ofWilliamsville, in the county of Erie and State of New York,

have invented new and useful Improvements spring come into actionsuccessively, thereby supporting the vehicle-body when light upon onemember or part of the spring, and increasing the resistance orsupporting capacity of the spring in the same measure as the load of thevehicle is increased.

The object of our invention is the construction of a simple, cheap, anddurable spring of this character.

It consists of a vehicle-spring composed of two or more independentspring-bars of different lengths, arranged side by side, as will behereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of ourimproved spring applied to the bolster of a vehicle. Fig. 2 is a planview thereof with the "spring-board removed. Fig. 3 is a crosssection online 00 m, Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in each of the figures.

A represents a vehicle-bolster, of ordinary and well-known construction,and B B the uprights secured thereto.

O is the spring-supporting board, arranged .loosely upon the bolster A,and provided in its ends with notches fitting over the uprights B B,whereby the board (J is held in place.

D represents our improved spring secured to the supporting-board 0. Itis composed of several bars or rods of spring-steel arranged side byside and made of unequal lengths, as clearly shown.

The several bars composing the spring may all have the same curvature,as shown, whereby the bending of the bars is greatly simplified.

The spring D is secured to the upper side of the supporting-board G bymeans of clips 0 and a clip-plate, f, having on its under side A-shapedrecesses, in which the spring-bars are securely held.

The A-shaped recesses in the clip-plate enable the latter to firmly holdbars of various sizes of diameters.

G is the spring-board, resting upon the spring D, and provided in itsends with notches fitting loosely over the uprights B, to permit theboard G to move freely up or down. The vehicle-body resting upon thespring-board G is supported ordinarily by the longest bar of the springD.

In the same manner, as the board G is de' pressed, either by loading thevehicle or by violent oscillations of the vehicle-body, the shorter barsof the spring D come successive- 1y into play and assist in supportingthe vehicle-body.

The supporting-board O, to which the spring D is secured, can be readilyremoved with the spring from the bolster if the spring is not requiredto be used, or the spring may be applied, if desired, in a reversedposition and the spring-board Gr removed.

Our improved spring is readily and cheaply constructed of bar-steel, andall the bars constituting a spring may be bent to the same curvature andsimply be made of difl'erent lengths.

The ends of the bars are preferably flattened, and the spring-board G ispreferably provided with bearing-pieces h, against which the ends of thebars work.

Compared with a spring composed of sev eral leaves of difl'erentlengths, placed one upon the other, our improved spring has theadvantage of greater simplicity and cheap ness of construction, and ofgreater freedom of movement, as the difi'erent bars or rods constitutingour spring are not liable to be impeded in their action by dirt or otherob struetions, which, in leaf-springs, will accuarranged side by side,substantially as and mulate in the narrow spaces between the sevfor thepurpose set forth.

erai 1eaves,2md impair the operation of the WLOREN SPALDING. same. LOUISWIEDE.

Weolaiin as our invention Witnesses: A vehicle-spring composed of two ormore JNO. J. BONNER,

independent bars or rods of difierentlengths, OHAs. J. BUOHHEIT.

